The Great Detective Shinichi
by ShiroiOkami777
Summary: Promises are fulfilled and an overdo love blooms when detective Shinichi Kudo pursues the truth as he solves mysteries with his true love, Ran Mouri by his side.
1. The Returned Shinichi Kudo

The small drinking glass he held was full with a liquid of a dull yellow color. He brought the glass beneath his nose and inhaled lightly, finding it odorless. He looked up as a voice began speaking to him, that of the man who had handed him the glass. He needed to turn his head up to see the man's face, one of the unavoidable necessities of being in the body of an eight year old child.

The boy's name was Shinichi Kudo, an eighteen year old high school student, though no one would believe it because of his appearance. Anyone who looked at him would see an eight year old boy wearing wide, wire rimmed glasses. But it was true that he was eighteen year old Shinichi Kudo, but thanks to an incident, his body had been shrunk down to the size of a child.

Despite his age, Shinichi had made a name for himself as a genius detective as early as age fifteen. He'd been extremely bright and curious growing up and was fascinated with mysteries. He also had a talent for noticing small details in normal everyday things that most people usually overlooked or would have never noticed. This talent made him wish to be a detective, which he strove to be as he grew up. He spent a lot of his free time reading, usually one of the many books in the library of his large home, which taught him many facts and details about almost every subject. His good memory allowed him to keep track of everything he read and learned, putting it to practice and good use when solving mysteries, in addition to impressing many people with his vast knowledge of just about everything.

Outside his interest in mysteries, he also enjoyed playing soccer. He joined the school soccer team in elementary school and continued playing till his first year of high school. His talents as a player were almost matched with his genius as a detective, earning him the role of team captain starting in middle school. He'd even been scouted to join a professional soccer team when he was thirteen, but refused as he only played soccer for fun and to hone his reflexes and exercise his body to be physically fit enough to be a better detective. By the time he entered the eleventh grade he'd decided he'd gotten everything he needed from the sport, so he quit and put all of his focus on becoming a detective.

By age seventeen, Shinichi had become well known around his home town of Beika as a genius high school detective. He'd first stumbled upon a murder investigation when he was fifteen and helped the police solve it. This happened on numerous occasions after that, and Shinichi's ability to solve cases single handedly impressed the police to the point where they actually came to him for help when investigating a tough case. These things led to his name appearing in newspaper articles reporting the murders and magazine journalists coming to him for interviews, gradually leading to his popularity and fame as the genius high school detective Shinichi Kudo. This of course earned him a lot of attention from his classmates, some of them even asking for his autograph.

But despite his fame, his friendships weren't numerous. Being so easily able to see what most others couldn't made him find it slightly annoying when others couldn't see what he found so obvious. He usually explained what the person couldn't see or understand, but sometimes it would seem so obvious to him that he would become irritated it and be a bit rude in his explanation. He also tended to tell things like they were and say how he really felt about something without thinking about how it would affect the person he spoke to. He had no intention of hurting anyone when doing this, but he had a habit of pointing out what he saw, sometimes without thinking. Most people didn't understand these things about him, so though he was popular, he also had a reputation for being arrogant and rude. Because of this, he really never had many friends.

Except one.

Her name was Ran Mouri, seventeen years old and in the same grade as Shinichi. She wasn't just his best friend, but his _only_ friend. As a matter of fact, they'd grown up together. They'd know each other since before preschool thanks to the friendship between their mothers. Appearance wise, she was a few inches shorter than Shinichi with soft blue eyes and long, medium brown hair down to the middle of her back. She was slim and physically fit, thanks to her position on the school karate team. She'd taken karate lessons in her last year of elementary school, then joined the school team in middle school. Her talent in the martial arts eventually earned her a black belt as well as the role of team captain. Despite her talent in the harsh physical activity, she was a very gentle and sensitive person. One might call it a blessing to have a heart as soft as Ran's. She genuinely and deeply cared for other people, especially her family and friends. Her caring heart even extended to people she didn't know. She was always ready to lend a helping hand to someone in need. She was very polite and pleasant to talk to, making it easy for her to get along with other people. This made it easy for her to tolerate the faults of others, which was one of the reasons she got along so well with Shinichi. She understood him and knew that, even though he knew he was clever and he enjoyed being in the spotlight, he wasn't as arrogant as everyone saw him. He was a caring person, always ready to defend others and never let an injustice pass. He just didn't show it the same way other people did, partially because he didn't like showing the sensitive side of himself, and also because he sometimes didn't know how.

But that was ok, because he didn't have to pretend around Ran. He could be himself with her, but he still hadn't properly shown her any affection, other than a comforting smile and reassuring comments when she was down. But those things weren't enough for him anymore. He was too shy to show any signs of affection to her because, even though he wanted to, he didn't want her to find out that he no longer considered her strictly a friend.

He was trying to find the right way and the right time to tell her that he was in love with her.

He'd had those feelings for Ran for a very long time, but never found the right time, or the courage to tell her. Despite his keen eye for detail and ability to read peoples' emotions, he couldn't tell how Ran felt about him. He knew her better than anyone else, but she was such an emotional person that, even though he always knew how she felt, he could never tell if she felt _that way_ about him.

Being unable to tell her how he felt was difficult in many ways. Not only did he tire of hiding his feelings and wish to just be with her, but he became very agitated when their classmates casually flirted with her. It was no secret that she was very beautiful, though she never truly realized that herself. This, along with her warm and friendly personality, made her a target for a lot of male classmates. Shinichi knew he had no reason to worry however, because Ran was always oblivious to the advances. Her innocence led her to believe that the ones who talked to her were only doing so because they were friendly. It wasn't until later when a friend pointed it out to her that she realized she was being flirted with. Though these flirtations toward her only happened when Shinichi wasn't with her, which was rare. The main reason for this was that they were widely teased for constantly being with each other. Everyone knew that the pair was practically inseparable, and told that they couldn't seem to stay away from their "boyfriend" if they were talking to Ran or "girlfriend if they were talking to Shinichi. Those were the only times that Ran was aware of herself being paired with someone, and she would blush and nervously say that they were just friends. Shinichi would just give them an irritated look and say that it wasn't like that, though he would be blushing as deeply as Ran, while secretly wishing that it really was like that. Whenever this happened, Shinichi would wonder if Ran's nervous reaction was a clue to her feelings for him, but he still never found the courage to ask her.

That was what Shinichi's life generally consisted of.

Until _that_ day.

Shinichi had promised Ran that he'd take her to Tropical Land, a local amusement park, if she won the karate school championship. And with no surprise to anyone, she won. While there, a ride on the roller coaster turned deadly when a murder occurred. After the police came and Shinichi began helping with the investigation, he noticed two men dressed in black trench coats, bowlers and dark sunglasses. Though they would appear suspicious to anyone dressed like that, Shinichi found them suspicious for a different reason. In addition to asking the police why they had to stay during the investigation, they periodically peered at their watches, indicating that they were anxious to get somewhere on time. He temporarily forgot about them while he was investigating, and eventually solved the case by himself, once again impressing the police and the bystanders watching the crime scene. While leaving with Ran, he saw the men again as they walked away and remembered his earlier suspicions. Telling Ran that he'd catch up with her later, he followed them.

Remaining far enough behind that they wouldn't see him, Shinichi eventually followed the men to the side of the park. It was evening by now and dark, but the moon and the lights from the park in the distance lit everything enough to see what was happening. Hiding behind one of the walls of the buildings that housed the parks many electrical boxes, Shinichi watched as one of the suspicious, darkly dressed men spoke with a man holding a briefcase. He heard a short conversation involving blackmail of a roll of film that would expose embezzlement, followed by an exchange of a roll of film given to the man in the brown suit and the briefcase of cash passed to the man in black. The man in the brown suit left shortly after that.

That was when Shinichi heard the soft sound of footsteps disturbing the grass behind him. Startled, he turned his head just in time to see the second man in black, who'd been nowhere to be seen during the exchange, raise a wooden plank above his head and strike him on the head. The blow was sharp and swift, and sent Shinichi to the ground, where he lay on his stomach, half conscious and dazed from the pain resounding from the now bleeding wound on the back of his head. Through the haze, he heard the suspicious men talking to one another, discussing what to do with him. They decided he'd seen too much and had to be disposed of, where they afterward agreed to poison him. He then felt a hand grab the hair on his head and turn his face upwards. Though he was conscious enough to hear them, his body wouldn't respond and he couldn't defend himself. He felt a small pill be laced into his mouth, followed by small amount of water that carried the pill down his throat, some of the droplets of water trickling down his chin. The man dropped his head back to face the ground, and Shinichi lay unable to move as he listened to a pair of footsteps hastily make a getaway.

Time was lost as he lay there, trying to regain full consciousness. The wound on his head pulsed painfully as warm blood trickled down his forehead. The haze cloaking his mind slowly faded, and he eventually regained control of his body. He put his hands flat against the ground in preparation to hoist himself up, but was stopped by a new sensation.

A sudden, sharp jolt stabbed his chest, causing his breath to catch. The sensation spread, like his entire chest was being filled with something, causing great pressure and severe pain. He grasped the blades of grass between his palms and squeezed as the pain intensified, spreading like fire thought the rest of his body. His skin felt unnaturally hot, like he was burning, and his limbs became suddenly weak as it felt like his bones were disappearing. The sharp pain in his chest kept him from breathing, so he couldn't cry out. All he could do was lay there, frantically trying to understand what was happening.

And just as suddenly as it started, the sensations all quickly faded and ceased altogether. The bubble in his chest disappeared, allowing him to breathe again. He panted, his body sore, the only pain remaining that of the wound on his head.

 _Am I dead_? Was all he could think. He was trying to catch his breath and hadn't found the strength to try and move.

He suddenly became aware of a sound above his head. He quickly identified it as a male voice, but it wasn't one that belonged to one of the men in black that had just left. Shinichi tried opening his eyes, and was greeted by a fuzzy vision of the grass underneath him. He blinked slowly, his vision gradually becoming more clear and revealing a more detailed picture before him. He heard the voice again, now realizing that it was speaking to him, asking him if he was alright.

 _I'm alive_. He was suddenly relieved to find that he wasn't dead. The poison didn't work? He turned his head slowly up, wincing at the resonating pain it cause the wound on his head, and his eyes fell on the face of a man kneeling before him, a flashlight in hand. Upon closer inspection, he saw the blue uniform and cap worn by the security officers of the amusement park.

Shinichi placed his hands on the ground and pushed himself up, wincing as the wound on his head pounded achingly. He hoisted himself into a sitting position and sat till the pounding faded away. He then looked up at the guard, now realizing that there was a second one standing behind him, shining a flashlight in his direction and looking on with concern.

The kneeling guard smiled reassuringly and held out his hand to Shinichi, saying, "Don't worry, little boy. We're here to help."

Boy? Shinichi was puzzled by the remark. Looking at the guard's face told him that he couldn't be more than a few years older than Shinichi, so he shouldn't address him in such a way.

While the kneeling officer waited patiently for Shinichi's response, the second guard grabbed his radio and spoke into it. "We found a little boy, about elementary school age. He has a head wound, possible concussion."

 _What?_ Shinichi was completely taken aback. Why would they say that? One look at him should tell them that he was much older than an elementary school student.

Instinctively looking down, Shinichi's eyes saw something they hadn't noticed before. For some unexplained reason, his pants were much too long for him. In addition to his confusion, a sensation of panic began to slowly rise in his chest. He lifted his arms and stared when he found that his sleeves were too long for him too. He could no longer hear either of the guards as panic slowly began setting in.

 _What happened to me?_

A sudden need to escape overtook him, and he stood up. He quickly rolled his pant legs up till they matched the length of his legs and pulled his sleeves up to his wrists before turning away from the guards and running away.

After taking the exit at the front of the park, Shinichi ran down the sidewalk towards his house, the same route he'd taken when he walked here earlier. It was late and the sky was dark, the deserted sidewalk barely lit up by the occasional streetlight. Rain began falling when he was at about the half way mark of his route.

His mind was clear enough to think, but he couldn't find a reason for what was happening. No matter what idea he came up with, he couldn't make sense of what was going on. He couldn't find any logical reason for someone to call him a little boy or why his clothes were suddenly too big.

Sometime while he ran, one of the legs of his pants slipped down and caught underneath his foot. He tripped and, unable to catch himself when he put his hands in front of him, landed on his belly on the wet sidewalk.

Slowly, he pushed himself up, panting heavily and steadying himself by placing his hand on the glass door of a public building next to him. _Why am I so out of breath?_ He hadn't been running long enough to be so exhausted, which just added to the mysteries of what was wrong with him. He subconsciously turned his eyes towards the glass door he was leaning against, his reflection a dim picture in the stormy, barely lit sidewalk.

But no matter how dim the reflection was, there was no way to mistake what he saw.

He looked like himself, there was no mistaking that. But what was wrong was that he didn't look like he should. Rather, he looked exactly like he did when he was eight years old. Shocked, he placed both hands against the glass and leaned his face closer, gasping as he stared at himself. "I've been shrunk!" Were the words that came out of his lips, but not in his own voice. Rather, the voice he had when he was a child.

He spun around, leaning his back against the door, panting. Now he understood. Everything that was wrong with him suddenly made sense. He was perceived as a child by others and his clothes were too big because his body had shrunk. But what he still didn't understand was how it happened. The only possibility was the poison he'd been given. It was meant to kill him, but instead, it shrunk him.

He'd figured out what happened, but didn't know what to do. In the meantime, he knew he had to get home.

Finishing the trek in the storming night, Shinichi finally stood in front of the gate to his house, a small homey mansion. As was normal, the latch was closed and needed to be opened to get in. But it was halfway up the tall gates, and no matter how hard he reached, he couldn't reach it.

Frustrated, he decided to try climbing the gates just enough to reach the latch. He'd always been good at climbing and thought he could do it. Stepping on the bar on the bottom of the gate, he reached up toward the latch. His fingers just barely brushed against it, and he became frustrated that he was so close and still couldn't do it. But determination was one of his traits, and he continued to try.

A loud sound interrupted his task, and he turned his head to the right in time to see the tall stone fence to his next door neighbor's house crumble a little ways down the sidewalk. Shortly after, an elderly man stumbled over the rubble and tripped face first onto the sidewalk.

The man was fifty two year old Doctor Agasa, a longtime family friend of Shinichi's family. The old man was pleasantly plump, with short, gray hair growing below the bald dome of his head and round glasses resting atop his round nose. He was a doctor of science, specializing in gadgetry and experimentation. Being on close terms with Shinichi's parents and living right next door led to a good friendship between the Doctor and Shinichi.

Upon seeing the old man, Shinichi jumped down from the gates and ran over. "Doctor Agasa!" He called out as he ran. Shinichi stopped and looked up at the old man as he picked himself up from the rubble and looked down at Shinichi.

Agasa raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" It wasn't surprising that he was confused; he wouldn't immediately believe that the little boy in front of him was his next door neighbor's seventeen year old son.

"Doc, it's me, Shinichi!" Shinichi said, clenching his fists and staring desperately, hoping his words would be believed.

"Shinichi, huh?" Agasa pointed to Shinichi's house and said, "If you're looking for Shinichi, he lives in that house over there."

"No, _I'm_ Shinichi, and I can prove it. Your name is Doctor Agasa, fifty two years old, and you're a scientist that makes lots of unique and crazy gadgets, but most of them don't work right. You also have a mole on your rear end with a hair growing out of it!" Recalling the private detail about the Doc that Shinichi wished he never heard, he hoped it would help his story seem more believable.

The Doc's eyes grew wide. "I never told anyone but Shinichi about that!" His brow furrowed as if irritated and he said, mostly to himself, "That scoundrel's revealing all my secrets."

"No, _I'm_ Shinichi!" He was becoming desperate. Nothing he said was convincing the Doctor. "Some men gave me a poison and it made me shrink!"

Agasa forgot about the previous statements and raised his eyebrows. "It made you shrink?"

"Yes!"

Agasa appeared confused for only a second more before he became agitated. He frowned and, grabbing Shinichi's arm he said, "I don't know what kind of prank you're trying to pull little boy, but maybe I can find a policeman who can find out!" He then began pulling Shinichi down the sidewalk.

"No, wait!" Shinichi said desperately. Revealing private information wasn't working, so he decided to prove his identity by do something he knew only he could do.

"You just got back from having dinner at your favorite restaurant Colombo's Bistro, didn't you?"

The Doc stopped walking and turned to look at him, releasing Shinichi's arm with shock apparent on his face. "How did you know that? Have you been following me?"

"No, I just read the clues. For starters, your clothes are wetter in the front than they are in the back, indicating you were just running in the rain." He pointed at the bottom of the doc's pant legs, and the doc followed with his eyes. "And the bottom of your pant legs are muddy from walking through the construction site in front of the restaurant." He then pointed at the Doc's face. "And you have sauce from your favorite dish on your mustache."

Agasa looked down at Shinichi, surprise apparent by his black face. "That's… amazing."

Then Shinichi smiled, a knowing, half smile that was his trademark. "Only one truth prevails."

Agasa eyes slowly widened as realization set in. "Shinichi?"

Shinichi was relieved to have his identity proven. They decided to go inside Shinichi's house to discuss what to do and find something more fitting for Shinichi to wear. Agasa waited in the library in the back of the house while Shinichi went to his parent's room. In their closet he found a box with his name on it. Inside were a few outfits he'd worn when he was a child. He rummaged through it until he found one that fit. It was a pair of light blue shorts with a white long sleeve, button up shirt, a blue jacket and a red bowtie. He was always so embarrassed when his mother talked about saving the clothes he wore when he was a kid, but now he was grateful. It was thanks to her sentimentality that he had something to wear.

He met Agasa in the library after he dressed, and they began discussing what happened. After giving Agasa the whole story, Shinichi asked if the doc could make him an antidote for the poison to change his body back to normal. Agasa said he could, but not without knowing what poison he was given. Shinichi became determined after knowing he could simply find the men that poisoned him to get his body back, but Agasa warned him that it wouldn't be that simple. If these men were trying to kill Shinichi, then they would know doubt try to kill him again if they found out he was still alive. And dangerous criminals would be sure to finish off anyone who knew that Shinichi was still alive to protect themselves. Therefore, the only way to keep himself and everyone he cared about safe, he had to hide his identity and tell no one who he really was.

"Do you understand?" Agasa placed his hands on Shinichi's arms, looking him straight in the face to indicate the seriousness of what he said. "You can't tell anyone who you are, not even Ran. Understand?"

Shinichi had no time to respond before a voice could be heard out in the hallway, somewhere by the front of the house. Shinichi felt his stomach leap into his throat when he recognized the voice as Ran's.

He wasn't surprised she was here. When he left earlier, she undoubtedly went home and waited for him to call, as he did every night and after every time he left abruptly so she would know everything was ok. She worried very easily, especially about him, and considering the time of night it was, she must have been concerned that he hadn't called and came to check on him. But now he had to hide from her so she wouldn't find out what happened to him. He didn't like it, but it was for her own safety.

He began to panic by her sudden arrival, trying to figure out what to do while the Doc whispered loudly at him to hide. Shinichi ran behind the desk that sat in the back of the room, shielding himself from the sight of the door. No sooner had he hidden did he hear Ran's voice grow louder as she entered the room.

"Oh, Doctor Agasa." Needless to say, she was surprised to see him.

Agasa smiled warmly. "Hello Ran. What brings you here?" Shinichi tensed when he noticed the waver in the Doc's voice. If he didn't stay calm, Ran would know something was up.

"I was looking for Shinichi." Though her voice was normal, Shinichi could tell by her quiet tone that she was worried. "We were at Tropical Land earlier and I haven't heard from him."

"Oh, He was just here, but he left." Agasa laughed nervously as he said that. Shinichi groaned. If he kept this up Ran would know something was going on. He needed to do something to hide his identity better just in case. Even though his body had been shrunk, Ran knew him well and there was a good chance she would recognize him.

Remembering an old pair of prescription glasses his father kept in the desk drawer next to him, Shinichi slowly opened it. The glasses sat on top of the folders inside the drawer, so he picked them up and placed them on his face. But his healthy eyes couldn't see properly with the glasses, and everything blurred so deep that he could barely see. He turned his head and bumped into the desk, which made a loud sound that echoed in the room.

Ran looked around the Doc and towards the desk. "What was that?"

"Oh, it was nothing!" Agasa tried to reassure, lifting his hands and shaking his head. Ran was sure she heard something, so she walked past him and towards the desk.

Unaware of Ran's approach, Shinichi pulled the glasses off and popped the lenses out with his thumbs before placing them back on, satisfied that he could see. No sooner did he place them did he hear Ran's voice behind him.

"Oh, hi there," she said warmly. Startled, Shinichi spun around only to find Ran kneeling on the floor, looking at him with a smile.

When Ran saw his face, her smile faded and she stared. "Hey, you're…" Shinichi's breath caught and he just stared, terrified of what would happen if she realized it was him.

Suddenly, Ran reached out and hugged him tightly, exclaiming, "You're adorable!"

Shinichi just blinked, surprised by her reaction. He started blushing when he realized how close he was to her, not being accustomed to such close contact with her. She backed away from him, keeping her hands gently on his arms and smiling brightly at him. Though his face was still warm from the closeness with her, he was relieved that the disguise had fooled her.

"He's a distant relative of mine." Agasa appeared behind Ran. His voice was more composed now, and Ran turned to look at him as he spoke. "He's staying with me for a while."

"Oh, how nice." Ran turned to look at Shinichi. "So, what's your name?"

"Uh, it's Shini-" Shinichi stopped himself just in time once he realized he'd been about to answer naturally with his real name. He had to come up with something else right away.

"It's, uh…" Shinichi began to panic as Ran looked at him expectantly, smiling warmly. Remembering the row of books behind him, he glanced backwards, making up a name out of the first two he saw.

"It's Conan. Conan Edogawa."

Ran's expression turned curious. "Conan?" There was no surprise that the uncommon name surprised her.

"Yeah, well, my Dad's a big fan of Conan Doyle." Shinichi smiled nervously as he explained.

"Oh," Ran appeared thoughtful, like she was recalling something. "That's a lot like Shinichi."

Shinichi gulped. Whoops…

"Anyway, Ran I was going to ask if maybe he could stay with you for a while," Agasa said.

Shinichi's eyes widened and he gaped at the Doc, completely unaware that he was going to suggest such a thing. Shinichi ran over to him and shook his hands around in refusal. Agasa grabbed Shinichi and put his hand over his mouth. "You see," Agasa continued, "His parents were in an accident and their both in the hospital. He was going to stay with me, but my house if full of ongoing experiments and really isn't suitable for a child. What do you say?" Ran stared curiously at the struggling Conan while she listened to the request. "Well, that sounds good to me, but I'll have to ask my Dad," she smiled. Agasa released Shinichi, who immediately glared up at him.

"That's great!" The Doc turned away from Ran and knelt down to Shinichi's level.

"Are you crazy!?" Shinichi whispered, exasperated. "I can't live with Ran! What if she finds out who I am?" Though that wasn't the only reason he was panicking. Just thinking about living with Ran made the heat rise in his face. Though he found the idea nice and thought about it on occasion, he didn't think it would happen for a while and was scared to think of it happening right now. She had no idea what he felt about her, yet and he was going to live with her? It didn't matter that she didn't know it was him; it still didn't feel right.

"Think about it," Agasa whispered. "Ran's Dad is a private detective. If you live there, you get to see every case he works on, and one of them might lead to the men that shrunk you!"

Shinichi calmed down when he realized that it was a logical idea. "Oh, right." But that didn't make him any less nervous. He would still be living with Ran. He pictured living in the same house with her many times, hoping that it would be something in their future one day. He hadn't pictured it being under these kinds of circumstances. There's no way he could have predicted something like this was going to happen to him.

Agasa suddenly began gently pushing Shinichi and Ran towards the door. "Well, I need to get back to my work, so please take good care of Conan."

"Oh, o-ok," Ran stuttered as Agasa ushered everyone out of the house. Once they exited the front gate, he waved and walked back to his house.

Once he was out of sight, Ran looked down at Shinichi and smiled brightly. "Well, ready to go?"

Shinichi looked up at her. Everything still felt a bit unreal, as so much happened so quickly. Before he had any time to come to terms with what happened to his body, he had to face the mixed and messy emotions that came with knowing he was going to live with her. His stomach filled with nervous butterflies at the thought.

He exhaled, then nodded.

"Good, then let's go," she said warmly, then gently grasped Shinichi's hand and began leading him down the sidewalk.

Shinichi's legs carried him along, but his mind was focused on their hands. He stared at them, heat rising in his face and his pulse gradually quickening. In all the time he'd known her, he'd only held her hand when they were children. After he'd fallen in love with her, he'd become too shy to have any physical contact with her. Sure, he placed his hand on her shoulder sometimes when she needed a reassuring gesture, but that was about it. And she usually wore something that kept her shoulders covered, so his hand never came in contact with her skin whenever he did. He always wanted to do more than that, but he couldn't bring himself to. He knew the wrong gesture could alert her of his feelings and he didn't want her to find out that way. True that she was usually oblivious to any advance that involved flirtations or emotions from those of the opposite gender, but she would certainly notice an out of the ordinary physical contact from Shinichi.

It had been Ran who initiated this contact and even though she didn't know it was Shinichi's hand she was holding, it didn't change the fact that that's what they were doing.

 _He was holding her hand._

Her skin was soft, her slim fingers wrapped around his smaller hand in a gentle grasp. He'd pictured this before, walking along while holding her hand. True that he didn't picture himself as a child, but that still didn't take away from the wondrous feelings he was getting from this. But never did he think it would be so nice. He was only able to revel in it for a minute when he remembered that his body had shrunk down to the size of a child. He became a bit off put, wondering why something he'd been desiring so much had to happen when she didn't know it was him.

Ran kept the walk to her apartment lively with conversation. She asked Shinichi many questions so she could get to know 'Conan.' Shinichi didn't have much trouble coming up with answers. Most of the questions were pretty basic, like how old he was and what he liked to do. He knew what most children would say and used that as his basis for the answers.

"So what else?" Ran asked. She appeared to be out of normal questions and was taking a moment to think of something else. She smiled when she thought of something. "Is there a girl you like?"

Shinichi looked up at her. This would be a bit harder to answer than the other questions she'd asked. It was more personal and required a bit more thought before he could come up with an answer. Of course, the truth was the first thing that popped into his head.

 _Yeah, you._

But _like_ was certainly the wrong word.

Since his appearance in this body made him look to be about eight years old, he easily figured what the safest and most realistic answer would be. He wrinkled his nose at her and said, "No way, girls are gross." He mentally hit himself. It disgusted him to say such a childish and immature thing. Did he really have to act the age that he appeared? If he had to say anything similar to what he just had on a regular basis, he was sure to make himself ill.

Ran smiled, giggling at his response. "You won't always feel that way." Shinichi didn't answer, looking ahead and rolling his eyes at himself.

He looked back up at her, finding her looking ahead instead of at him like she had been a moment ago. Her expression had also changed. She was still smiling, but in a different way. It was small, and blissful, like she was thinking of something that made her feel contented. Her eyes had become soft and distant, like she was thinking of something outside the vicinity of here. "Actually, there's a boy I like."

Shinichi's heart jumped and he stared at her with his eyes widened. _What?_ He was completely surprised by this. Not once had he ever seen her show any indication, emotionally or verbally, that she liked anyone in that way. Shock was almost instantantly replaced with bitter jealousy. He frowned and gritted his teeth.

"Who?" He said the word loudly, and his tone was angrier than he'd meant it to be. He forgot about what was going on at that moment and what he was supposed to be pretending to be. All he could think of was Ran's confession and finding out who this person was that she liked. And he would be damned if he didn't get the answer now.

Thankfully the harshness of his tone was masked by his childlike voice, and Ran had failed to notice any anger in his tone as she was still preoccupied with whoever she was thinking about.

She looked down at him. She was smiling softly, and he was frowning deeply. She didn't seem to notice his expression, either because she was still thinking blissfully about the one she liked, or because of the darkness of the evening, he wasn't sure. He just wanted an answer before his jealousy got the better of him and he said something to her about this that would blow his cover.

Of course, he never would have been prepared for what she said next.

"His name's Shinichi. Shinichi Kudo."

All of his anger suddenly disappeared, and his face smoothed into a blank one of shock.

 _What?_

Ran smiled wider, then looked forward. Her eyes were sparkling joyfully as she talked. "Actually, we've been best friends since we were kids. He's a little bit cocky sometimes, but he's really smart and he's always been there for me. He's kind and caring, and really handsome…" She turned her eyes toward the pavement, her eyes shining and a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "I… I really love him."

A warmth in the middle of Shinichi's chest spread so fast it almost felt like a fire burst inside him. His skin heated to the point that he almost began sweating. His heart began racing and pounded fiercely against his ribs. He forgot how to breathe. All he could do was stare at her face.

Ran looked down at him and smiled, putting a finger to her lips. "But that's our little secret ok?"

Shinichi was too distracted by her confession to answer her or acknowledge that he'd heard her. Despite the current situation he found himself in, he still couldn't believe that she felt the same way about him that he felt about her. She _loved_ him.

And he loved her.

The warmth in his chest suddenly fell uncomfortably into his stomach as he thought about what he was doing. It didn't matter that she had no idea that it was Shinichi moving in with her. After hearing her confession and the fact that she wished to keep it a secret from him, could he really invade her privacy by living in her comfort zone, her home?

"Well, this is it." Ran stopped in front of a three story building. The bottom floor was the only part that her father didn't rent; it was a small restaurant. The middle floor had large glass windows covering the entire front of the street side wall. Across the windows in big letters were the words 'Mouri Detective Agency.' This was Kogoro's office. And the top floor was the two bedroom apartment Ran and her father called home. Stairs built into the right side of the building led to the second and third floors.

"Come on in," Ran smiled at Shinichi as she tried to lead him to the stairs. Shinichi dropped her hand and looked at the pavement at his feet, the uncomfortable thought of invading on her turning to guilt.

"Wait, Ran." Ran turned to him, her face questioning his sudden mood change. Could he rally do this? He was sure he couldn't. Wouldn't it be better to tell her what was going on? That way, it would be her choice to let him live with her rather than doing it without her knowledge or permission.

Just as he opened his mouth to tell her the truth, the door upstairs slammed shut and hurried footsteps rushed down the stairs. Kogoro was suddenly before them, panting and looking at them with wide eyes, like he'd heard something unbelievable.

"My First case in six months!" He exclaimed loudly. Just then, a taxi that he'd called beforehand pulled up next to them, and before anyone knew anything more, all three of them were on their way to a crime scene.

And that was the first case of many to come.

Living with Ran worked out better than Shinichi thought. He still felt guilty for living with Ran without her knowledge, but he decided that it was for the best in the long run. He would tell her everything when his body was back to normal. After Shinichi had lived with Ran for a month, Kogoro began thinking of Conan as a freeloader and started asking when his parents would come and get him. Shinichi knew this was bound to happen sooner or later, given that Kogoro was not very fond of him from the day he moved in, and Ran had taken over full responsibility of caring for Conan. Since no leads on the men in black had been found, he needed to continue living with them, so Doctor Agasa contacted Kogoro to tell him that Conan's parents were out of the hospital and had gone overseas to find work to pay for their hospital bills. They later sent a generous check that they said Kogoro could take a payment for caring for Conan. The check turned out to come from Shinichi's real parents. He learned that Doctor Agasa had informed them of what happened and sent the money to help convince Kogoro to let him stay.

Shinichi's real parents currently lived in another country. When Shinichi was thirteen, they decided that they wanted to travel and were of course going to bring Shinichi with them. When he vehemently refused to leave the country, many discussions were had about what to do. Though he didn't tell them, the reason he refused to leave was because he didn't want to leave Ran. They would never force him into something that he didn't want to do, but were able to find a happy medium to allow him to stay home and still travel. Shinichi was already very responsible, cooking for himself and cleaning the house on his own, which led them to decide that he was responsible enough to be alone while they traveled. Also if he ever needed anything, Doctor Agasa, whom he was already friends with, lived right next door. They would give him a generous allowance each month to pay for whatever he wanted or needed and come back to visit twice a year, as well as have him come overseas to visit them once every summer. After all, they could easily afford this lifestyle.

Shinichi's father, Yusaku Kudo, was a famous mystery author. Shinichi had inherited his deductive talents from him, as well as his facial features. Shinichi was often told that he was the spitting image of his father, in looks and brains. Though Yusaku was a bit more laid back in personality and matter of fact in speaking. Shinichi's mother, Yukiko Kudo, was a semi-retired actress. Before she married Yusaku, she was one of the top actors in the country, but decided to retire to have a family after marrying Shinichi's father. She now traveled with her husband and did minor acting here and there. She was very friendly and easy to talk to, always ranting about how wonderful Shinichi was to everyone she met.

Shinichi was grateful that they were giving him support while he waited for the lead he needed to get his body back to normal.

Many cases came and went, but never one that led to anything on the men in black.

However, Shinichi's parents learning of the incident that had shrunken him ended up being the crux that brought the lead that they needed. Using his connections with various important individuals, the men in black were eventually found and captured. Shinichi's father managed to find out about the poison that was given to Shinichi and pulled in a favor to have a sample sent to Doctor Agasa. One week after he received it, he came up with the antidote.

And after a long eight months as Conan Edogawa, here he stood, in the foyer of his own home, holding the glass with the antidote that would change him back to Shinichi Kudo.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Story takes place after the first one hundred and thirty episodes of the anime. Shinichi was gone for eight months, disappearing in November and coming back in July of the following year. May 4th has passed, so he is eighteen years old.


	2. Truths Revealed

Shinichi looked up at Agasa, who began speaking just a moment ago. He had yet to receive any instructions after receiving the antidote.

"Sorry it took so long," Agasa began. He rubbed the back of his head and smiled apologetically. "I know you were anxious to get the antidote, but it took a while to get the ingredients right." He lowered his hand and watched Shinichi, the apologetic smile now a proud grin. "But it was worth it; there were no problems with the final product and it's one hundred percent guaranteed. Without getting into too much detail, I found the chemical that shrank your body and found the exact mix required to change you back." He waved his hand. "It's not just an antidote; it's a perfect cure. Your body can't develop antibodies for this mix." He nodded. "It will bring your body back for good."

Shinichi knew why Agasa was reassuring him of the reliability of the cure. A few months back, he'd somehow managed to return to his normal body after ingesting an alcoholic drink of unknown mix, but the effects wore off after an hour and he shrank back down. Agasa told him that his body had built up the aforementioned antibodies to the drink and that was the reason his body shrank again. But this time, that wouldn't be possible.

He would get his body back for good.

"It will only take a few minutes to take effect after you drink it," Agasa explained. He scratched his chin with one finger, looking a bit concerned. "Based on the antidotes properties and what you told me about how you felt when you shrank, it will no doubt be painful. You should probably lie down before you drink it."

Shinichi nodded in understanding. He saw temporary pain as nothing but another step towards returning to normal and wasn't fazed by it at all. He turned to the stairs on the left side of the foyer that led to the second floor of the house. Agasa followed behind him.

After climbing the stairs, Shinichi turned left and went towards the first door he saw; the door to his bedroom. Reaching up, he turned the knob and gently pushed the door open. It was dark in the room, the lights off and the curtains to the lone window on the wall to his right closed. His bed was against the wall opposite the door. He walked to it and stopped, gently placing the glass he held down on the nightstand next to the bed.

Shinichi turned to the Doc, who stood in the middle of the room. "Give me a minute," he asked.

Agasa nodded and turned to face the door, his back to Shinichi, understanding what Shinichi was asking.

Shinichi removed his glasses and placed them on the nightstand beside the glass. He did the same with his red bowtie, then began to undress. He removed all of his clothes and folded them into a pile that he placed in front of the nightstand. He then climbed into bed and sat up, pulling the covers up to his waist.

"Ok," he signaled to the Doc. Agasa turned and walked over to the edge of the bed. Shinichi picked the glass up and looked at the Doc, nodding. Agasa returned the gesture.

Shinichi looked into the glass for a moment, then put it to his lips and began drinking it. He kept going until the liquid was gone. He placed the empty glass down on the table and lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Though there was no chance of anything going wrong, the Doc remained in the room, watching in case he was needed.

It was silent in the room as both waited. As the Doc predicted, it was only a few minutes later when the effects began. Shinichi winced, squeezing his eyes shut as his chest suddenly felt like it had been filled with too much air. The pressure was painful, and he gritted his teeth. It was like there was no more room remaining in his chest, making it impossible to draw in a breath. He clenched his fists when his arms and legs began tingling. The fullness in his chest made him feel as if his lungs might burst. His skin heated up feverishly, leaving a thin layer of sweat across his body. It kept going and going for how long he had no idea.

And suddenly, it all stopped.

The fullness in his chest deflated, making room in his chest to breathe. He inhaled sharply as if he'd been holding his breath for too long, then began panting heavily. He lay with his eyes shut tightly while he caught his breath. His body was relaxed and his breathing gradually slowed until it returned to normal. It wasn't until now that he noticed the Doc calling his name. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the blurry shape of the Doc staring down at him. He blinked slowly, his vision clearing each time, until the clear vision of the Doc's concerned face came into view.

"Oh, good," the Doc's face calmed into a relaxing smile as Shinichi finally opened his eyes. "How do you feel?"

Shinichi paused before answering. "Fine."

As the word came out of his mouth, a sudden spur made his heart jump. There was no way to mistake the sound of what he heard.

It was his own voice.

He was back in his own body.

The Doc's smile widened. "It worked!" He chirped with a triumphant laugh.

Shinichi couldn't help the smile that crept onto his own face. He slowly sat up into a sitting position. He brought a hand up to his brow, wiping away a bead of sweat that dripped down the side of his face. He moved his hand in front of his face and saw the familiar sight of his own slender, but strong hand. For a moment, it felt surreal, like recalling a dream you couldn't remember. Then the comfortable familiar nature of being himself set back in and he was truly Shinichi Kudo.

There was a light feeling in his heart, like he'd been given a gift he thought he'd never receive. He looked at the Doc with gratitude. "Thanks." He said it sincerely, but still felt that he would never be able to repay him for helping him get himself back.

The Doc waved his hand as if it were nothing. "Anything for you my boy." He put his hands behind his back and beamed. "Well, if you don't need anything else, I'll let you get reacquainted with yourself."

Shinichi nodded. There was truly much to do. "Thanks."

The Doc nodded. "In that case, I'm just across the street if you need anything." He headed for the door, then turned and waved. "Bye" Then he left.

Shinichi sat silently, surprised by the Doc's sudden departure. True his part was done, but why had he excused himself so quickly?

Of course, being the deduction genius that Shinichi was, it only took him the few seconds it took to hear the front door close to come up with the answer.

The one thing that could no longer wait, the one thing that Shinichi would not wait on any longer.

Was Ran.

A warm smile spread across Shinichi's lips and his chest warmed up, his heart beating much harder than was normal. The reactions his heart made when he thought of her had never changed. The familiar feeling of his pulse quickening and heat rising in his chest were just as he remembered them. But never had he acted on them for fear of her rejecting him. And after he learned that she loved him as much as he loved her, he was unable to say a word thanks to his obligation to remain in hiding. But now that the danger was gone and he was himself again, nothing was in his way.

And nothing would stop him.

Carefully getting out of bed and steadying himself on slightly wobbly legs, Shinichi walked toward his dresser. His body was in a sore state, like he'd done a vigorous workout and woke up the next day regretting it. But it was bearable, and certainly not enough to stop him from seeing Ran. He opened his dresser drawers and pulled out his choice of clothes, a pair of loosely fitted medium blue jeans and a short sleeved red shirt with three buttons on the top. He dressed and folded the collar down, but left the buttons undone for comfort. Having no mirror in his room, he went to the bathroom that was right next to his bedroom. He looked in the mirror, and temporarily had a dazed feeling. Although he knew he'd see his eighteen year old self in the reflection, actually seeing it was still surreal. It was only a few moments before it felt just as real as it always did, and he checked himself over. After running a hand through his tussled hair, he decided he was presentable He headed back to his room, picking up his cell phone from the nightstand and seated himself at the edge of the bed. He turned the smartphone's screen on before opening his contact list. He scrolled down to ran's name and stared at the phone's screen, his thumb hovering over her name.

He knew she was home. It had only been an hour since he'd left under the guise of returning to his parents. She'd said nothing of having any plans and was most likely at home missing the little boy she'd spent so much time with. He knew if he called her, she would want to see him. But he didn't know if he should decide on the meeting place or let her decide. Knowing her, she'd be flustered and make the decision without realizing it. She always did that when she was upset about something.

The feeling in his chest was pierced by a blade of guilt. Though none of it could be helped, he felt awful for putting her through all that she went through. He could see and sense her sadness but could do nothing to comfort her. Seeing her now would not just be a time to tell her how he felt about her, but also a time to tell her everything that happened. He was glad he could finally tell her the truth about everything.

He just hoped she understood.

He pressed his thumb onto the phone, and it began dialing Ran's cell phone number. He pulled it up to his ear and listened to it ring. It only rang twice before it was answered.

"Shinichi?" His name had no doubt showed up on her phone when he called so she knew it was him. Her voice was flustered, like she was relieved. Though happy to hear her voice, the pin of guilt stabbed at him again. No doubt she was relieved to hear from him because it had been quite a while since she heard from him. But he wasn't going to let guilt get in his way.

He was about to make up for all of it.

"Hey Ran." He sounded chipper, more out of habit than anything else. He'd become accustomed to sounding like he was in good spirits to keep her happy when he called her. He agreed not to put on a front with her anymore.

He didn't have a chance to say anything else when Ran spoke.

"Are you okay? Where are you? Do you know how long it's been since you called!? You had me worried sick!" Her voiced was high pitched, and Shinichi could tell that she was on the verge of tears. His smile faded and his chipper front vanished when he heard how much she'd been affected by his negligence.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," he apologized, sincerity in his voice. "I didn't mean to worry you." All he heard from her was a sad and frustrated sigh.

Shinichi sat silently for a moment, the guilt returning. He pushed it away the best he could, reminding himself that he was about to make all of this go away. He put more casual cheer in his tone and said, "Well, I called to let you know that I finally solved that tough case."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. "You did?" She sounded surprised as well as confused, as if she were not expecting to hear it at all.

"Yeah. Actually, I just got home a little bit ago."

There was another silence, but it lasted longer this time. The words were so unexpected that they didn't sink in fully at first. After a few moments the reality of his words finally sunk in and hit her.

He was home. He was just around the corner.

"I-I'm gonna come over to see you." It was like her instincts kicked in and, though she still didn't feel the full reality of what he was saying; all she could think about was seeing him.

Shinichi smiled. "Great, I can't wait to see you."

"O-Ok." Her voice was quiet, like she was experiencing something she'd wanted for a long time and didn't think it was really there. "Bye."

"Bye." And they both hung up.

Shinichi sat silently for a moment. Though small remnants of guilt sifted through his feelings, the warmth that only came with thoughts of Ran dominated them. He stood from his bed, his heart pounding loudly. He left his room and went downstairs towards the front door. She would be there very soon and he needed to open the electronic lock on the gate to the front door to let her in. He opened the front door to the bright afternoon sun and watched the gate down the walkway. It was less than a minute before Ran appeared at the gate. Shinichi pressed the button on the inside of the front door, and she opened it and entered.

The gate closed behind her, and that was when Ran realized Shinichi was standing in the open doorway. She stopped in her tracks at the end of the walkway and looked at him. She'd been panting as she'd run all the way there, but upon seeing him her breath caught in her throat.

It was the first time she'd seen him in what felt like an eternity. She stared at him, heat rising in her chest and her heart rate speeding up incredibly. So many emotions were going through her that her head began to spin. She was so relieved that he was ok and so happy to see him, yet she was angry that he'd left her for so long. These emotions swirled around inside her until a shaky pain pierced her cheeks and her eyes glistened. Suddenly, she didn't care where he'd been or why. All she cared about was that he was there. He was home.

And she loved him.

The tears began to stream down her face and she ran towards him. Without thinking of anything but proving to herself that he was really there, she through her arms around him and hugged him tightly with her face buried into his shoulder. She no longer had control of her emotions. She began crying opening with shaking sobs, holding him tightly to let herself know he was really there.

Shinichi was startled at first by her actions and stared down at her for a moment. Then it melted into a mixture of guilt for knowing it was he who had made her shed these tears, and an overwhelming need to hold her close. He returned the gesture, wrapping one arm around her back and placing one of his hands on the back of her head. Resting his cheek atop her head, he held her firmly and gently.

"I'm here. It's ok." he said above her sobs. He comforted her as she cried, and seeing her in such a state made him need comforting as well, which he found in holding her closely.

A few moments passed, and the swirl of emotions inside Ran finally calmed down until she was able to think more clearly. As she regained her senses she became aware of how forward she had been. She needed this embrace, and being this close to him was making her heart race, but she slowly began realizing the reality of what she was doing. She hadn't been this close to him since they were children. She hadn't had any physical contact with him in she didn't know how long, let alone gave him an unexpected hug. Part of her was enjoying being so close to him, wanting this closeness ever since she'd fallen in love with him, but another was slowly realizing how forward she'd been and she was becoming extremely self-conscious, making her feel foolish. Her self-consciousness began settling in and she started to feel foolish for acting out so drastically.

Slowly, she lowered her arms and stepped back slightly, keeping her gaze towards the ground, too embarrassed to make eye contact with him. Shinichi looked down at her, removing his arms from her but keeping his hands held towards her as if he thought she would fall.

"Are you ok?" Shinichi looked at her concerned, trying to make eye contact, which was proving to be difficult as she refused to look at anything except the ground.

She nodded slightly. "Yeah." Her voice was quiet and it was clear by her hesitant tone that she was embarrassed. "Sorry."

Shinichi lowered his hands and continued to watch her. He knew she was embarrassed for her actions but he knew she couldn't help but react the way she did. She couldn't help it. And it was one of the many reasons that he loved her.

"Do you want to come in?" Such a question would normally be a bit silly. She'd been going into his house on a regular basis since they were kids. She was even somewhat comfortable with it. But based on her embarrassment at the moment he knew she would need a little coaxing.

When she remained silent, Shinichi continued to help her by opening the door all the way and stepping one foot inside. This made her look up and meet his gaze. He smiled at her. "Come on."

Ran blushed upon looking at him. Under normal circumstances she wouldn't have hesitated, but she was still recovering from the reel of emotions she'd just experienced. In addition, she felt a little embarrassed entering his house after being so forward with him. But she needed to see him, so she took a step toward the door. Shinichi took the signal and walked the rest of the way in, Ran following him.

Both of them inside, Shinichi closed the door and turned right, leading Ran toward the living room. She followed him as he led her to the couch, where he sat down and waited for her to seat herself. When she did, she put at least a foot of distance between them. She wanted to be close to him but was still too embarrassed to sit any closer.

"Do you feel better now?" Shinichi asked. Ran met his gaze. She began to regain control of herself and began feeling a bit more normal. She nodded and laughed quietly while rubbing her eyes quickly. "Yeah. I'm sorry."

Shinichi looked at her somberly. No, I'm sorry.

They sat quietly for a few moments. For some reason, Shinichi didn't know where to start. There was so much to tell her and she was already in an emotional state that he wasn't sure how she would react.

"I-I'm sorry." He started, finding himself almost stuttering. "I didn't mean to be gone for so long. The case was difficult." There was more silence. Ran moved her gaze to stare ahead of herself, her expression unchanged. Shinichi could see that she wasn't really upset, but she became tired of hearing the same excuse again. It was always the case for his reason for leaving. He looked down slightly, like he was ashamed.

"I didn't have a choice."

"Why not?" He looked up at her to find she was once again meeting his gaze. Her expression appeared more normal, like she was asking for answers and ready to listen. Much more like her normal self. Shinichi was glad she was calming down.

She frowned slightly, not in anger, but like she didn't understand. "You haven't told me anything except that it was a big and difficult case."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Shinichi shook his head and looked at her apologetically. "But I'll tell you know. It's safe now."

Ran's brow furrowed. She was clearly confused. "Safe?"

Shinichi looked at her and sighed slightly. He was about to tell her things he'd longed to tell her, but he was hesitant for not knowing how she would take it all. He knew she would understand, but hoped the truth wouldn't upset her.

He decided to start from the beginning.

"That night at the park, after I left, I ran into some dangerous people."

Ran knew what night he was referring to. After they spent the day at Tropical Land and he'd taken off to check on something, leaving her behind. She couldn't ever forget watching him run off, leaving her with a dreadful feeling that she wouldn't see him again for a while. Though the memory was painful, she was fully invested in his story, ready to finally have the answers.

"Dangerous how?" She knew that whatever he was involved in had to be dangerous, but hearing the words from his own mouth confirmed it. It was clear that he was alright, as he was sitting right here in front of her, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to know how dangerous they were, knowing that he'd been involved.

Shinichi knew telling her what happened would upset her, but there was no way to sugar coat it without lying. "I went after them to see what they were up to, but they realized I'd followed them. So they poisoned me."

"Poison!?" It was irrational to react this way knowing that he was alright, but that didn't stop it from upsetting Ran.

"Yeah, but it didn't work how they planned."

Ran didn't understand what he meant, which was obvious by her expression.

Shinichi paused here. This was where everything would not only become difficult to believe, but would reveal almost everything. There was a part of him that knew that Ran was aware that the little boy she'd been living with was actually Shinichi. He knew by the way she looked at him sometimes. She probably didn't realize she did it, but he knew she had her suspicions. No matter how hard he tried to fool her, he knew that she was never completely fooled from the first moment. Bu that didn't mean that hearing the truth would be any less staggering.

"They meant for it to kill me, but it didn't. It.. it shrank my body."

There was silence, and Ran looked at him, her expression unchanging. He began to wonder if she hadn't realized what he said. So he decided to add to it.

"I looked like a little kid."

It took only one more moment before the truth dawned on her. Everything that happened, all of her silent and unconscious feelings and suspicions that lay dormant suddenly surfaced and fell into a puzzle where every piece fit. Her heart began to pound and she inhaled shakily. She looked at his face, finally able to admit the resemblance she'd seen every time she looked at the little boy's face.

A tear ran down her cheek.

"I knew it," she whispered.

"I'm sorry." Shinichi saw her tears and began to explain his actions. "I couldn't let them know that I was still alive or they would come after me. And if anyone else knew who I really was then they were in danger to. The only way to keep you safe was to pretend I was Conan."

Ran exhaled shakily, her chest hit with a painful relief and realization. Her arms became weak, and the tears began streaming uncontrollably as she placed her face into her hands and began sobbing openly.

Shinichi didn't know what to do. He'd expected this, but it didn't make it any easier to see her cry. He scooted closer to her, closing the gap that had been between them until the sides of their legs were touching, then wrapped his arm around her and held her head against his shoulder in similar fashion to the way he had previously. Ran moved her hands to his chest and clenched his shirt, letting her emotion flow through her tears. She wasn't upset or angry. Her overwhelming reaction was simply from knowing the truth. After all this time, she finally knew the truth. She knew she wasn't silly to believe that Conan and Shinichi were the same person. That he'd never left her, and that he only kept the truth from her for her safety. Her tears were for the overwhelming relief of finally knowing the truth.

It took a while for her tears to slow. They finally did, and her sobs ceased, and instead she just let Shinichi hold her. She was too emotionally and mentally taxed to be embarrassed by the closeness to Shinichi. She tried to sort her thoughts while she calmed down.

That was when one more realization crossed her mind. She suddenly played through the day she met Conan and everything that went on. That was when she remembered the conversation they shared on the way back to her house. Her throat caught and her chest clenched as she panicked. The words played over and over again in her head and she felt trapped.

" _His name's Shinichi. Shinichi Kudo. I really love him."_

Those were the words she confided in Conan. Shinichi was Conan all along.

He knew how she felt about him.

She swallowed hard, remaining still. He knew she loved him. She didn't know what to do. She was frozen. He knew this whole time, and she didn't.

"Are you ok?" Shinichi asked, concern apparent in his tone. Ran didn't answer, still frozen by her realization. She was so embarrassed. She meant for that to be a secret she'd tell him one day, but he'd learned of it without her knowing. She'd never told him because she thought he didn't feel the same way. But now he knew how she felt. What was she going to do?

Self-consciousness got the better of her and she pulled away from him, looking ahead of herself. Shinichi watched her, concerned. She'd been shedding so many tears it was becoming hard for him to keep himself calm while seeing her that way.

She did not answer him, just stared blankly ahead. What was wrong? He knew she was upset by everything, and rightly so, but she was behaving as if she'd just realized something bad.

"Ran?" He was becoming concerned. He kept watching her, waiting for her to answer him.

Ran still refused to look at him. She felt so foolish. She kept her feelings a secret for so long and now he found out before she was ready to tell him. She didn't know what to do.

"You… weren't supposed to find out like this." Her tone was barely above a whisper. Her shaking tone proved that whatever she was thinking of was making her feel ashamed.

It only took him a moment to realize what she was referring to. It wasn't until now that he remembered that she would realize that he knew her feelings after he told him what happened. She'd felt just as unsure and scared as he had.

He was finally ready to take that fear away. From her, and from himself.

He suddenly felt ready. All Insecurities and worries finally meant nothing. He knew he loved her more than anything, and the only obstacle that was in his path to her was finally gone. There was no reason to continue living in fear and being apart from one another. They were finally going to be together, and never apart.

Shinichi reached out and grasped Ran's hands. He put hers together and held hers in between his, holding them gently but firmly. The unexpected contact made Ran meet his gaze. Her heart rate quickened as she looked at his smile. He looked so happy and calm.

Nothing could have prepared her for what he said next.

"I'm glad I did. Because that was the only thing that kept me from telling you how much I love you."

Ran stared into his eyes. Her heart pounded so harshly it felt like it would burst. The fear and shame she felt suddenly crumbled away and was replaced with astonished glee. Nothing felt wrong or like it needed to be hidden. All it took were those words to make her see that they'd shared the same feelings all along.

"What?" She stared at his face, wondering if the one she loved and longed for could really feel the same way.

He leaned in a bit closer, like he wanted to make sure she could hear him. He smiled warmly. "I love you."

She was quiet while the words settled in. It was so hard to admit to herself that Shinichi, the one she'd watched grow and the one she'd given her whole heart too was now giving his to her. After all this time stepping around the subject of loving him for fear of the outcome, she could just be with him. And love him.

And she felt a sudden need to say it. For the first time, she finally did.

I love you too."


	3. Chapter 3

They sat quietly, looking at one another, his hand still over hers. They still felt the strong emotions flowing after they confessed their love. There was nothing else around them; all they saw was each other, mesmerized.

Ran was feeling dazed. Her head was light and her mind was fuddled and wavy, like there were too many thoughts and emotions floating inside her head and heart to sort out. She experienced so many emotions in the last few minutes, hearing more things at once than she knew how to handle. They played through her mind over and over again, like she had to repeat them to make sure they really happened and that she'd fully understood what was happening. A few minutes went by before they solidified into reality and her mind began calming down. The haze was gone and she now had full acceptance of everything she'd just heard.

Now that she could think clearly, the reality of what she was doing came over her. Shinichi had been staring at her this whole time but it wasn't until now that she actually noticed. His face was closer to her than she realized, only a few inches away. His deep blue eyes were shining with emotion and he was grinning. She'd been feeling physically numb as well, but that feeling had faded and she was now fully aware of her hands. Her eyes strayed from his face and looked down. One of her hands was lying on her lap, and one of Shinichi's was laying over it, his fingers curled around the palm of her hand.

She suddenly began feeling warm, and a significant amount of the heat was in her face. She kept staring at their hands, but she was still aware of his gaze. She suddenly felt self-conscious under his gaze and couldn't look back up.

Shinichi's grin slowly faded and his brow turned down like he was thinking. Ran had been looking down for a while and he started worrying when she made no move to do anything else.

"Are you ok?"

Ran's heart sped up significantly when she heard his voice. She swallowed and her breath caught in her throat. It was a moment before she was able to speak.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered, her voice quiet.

Shinichi watched her for a moment, studying her face and her behavior. "Are you nervous?"

Ran nodded, still not looking at him.

Shinichi chuckled quietly through his nose. "It's ok." He leaned his face down to try to get her attention. She turned her eyes up to look at him again and he smiled at her. "I am too."

Ran kept looking at him, the tension in her chest beginning to relax. She swallowed and put on an apologetic face. "I'm sorry." Being with him and being able to touch him were things she'd always dreamed about, but actually doing them was more nerve wracking than she thought. She didn't dislike having contact with him by any means. Just the opposite; she _loved_ it. Being this close to him and holding his hand made her happier than she'd ever been. But she'd never touched him in a way that was meant to be intimate before, so it was a new feeling. Knowing that she didn't have to be afraid anymore and could hold him now was something she could have to adjust to. She was so used to avoiding contact with him that she would have to adjust to knowing that she didn't have to be afraid anymore.

"Don't be," Shinichi reassured her. He squeezed her hand gently, which made her look down at their hands again. Heat rose in her face as she watched his strong fingers hold her tightly.

Ran needed a moment to find the courage to look at his face again. When she did, she found him smiling sweetly at her. His smile made her heart flutter and her pulse raced. She didn't need to feel guilty anymore or hide how much she loved seeing his smile. His deep blue eyes and his handsome smile made her feel like it would all be ok. She always felt that way when she saw him smile, but it meant so much more now.

She found the courage to close her hands around his fingers and squeeze gently. Shinichi glanced down at their hands when he felt it then looked back at her face. Her eyes were back to normal and she had a warm smile.

Shinichi's smiled widened. "That's the Ran I know."

Ran flushed and smiled wider.

She blinked and suddenly became aware of how wet her face was. Her eyes were still moist, and she blinked, small tears wetting her eyelashes and blurring her vision.

"Sorry," she said again, wiping at her eyes with the palm of her free hand. She forgot that she'd been crying and she suddenly felt embarrassed. She must look awful.

"I'll get you something for your eyes," Shinichi offered, standing up from the couch and releasing her hand.

Ran stood up with him, shaking her head. "No, it's ok. I need to wash my face," she said, still wiping her face.

"Ok." He put his hand on the small of her back and began leading her to the first floor restroom that was on the left side of the front door.

Ran's legs automatically started moving with him and she elt him lead her. His sudden touch surprised her, and she stopped wiping her eyes to look up at him. His arm was around her back and the palm of his hand was pressed gently against her back. She was practically leaning against him as they walked, her back pressed against his shoulder. Ran's heart began racing again and she flushed deeper, her face turning even more red than it had been before. She was enjoying it immensely, but seeing how many times he touched her in the past few minutes was so hard to wrap her head around. She knew he was telling the truth when he said that he was scared too. He didn't show it the same ay other people did, but she could tell. But she could also tell that he was having less trouble with the intimacy than she was. That was to be expected. He was never much for physical contact but he wasn't nearly as shy as she was. He'd always been better at doing things he needed to do without being afraid. In this situation, he was clearly not as scared as her. And she was grateful. Her shyness would stop her from doing things with him even if she really wanted to, and until she got used to this and was able to do it on her won, she was glad that he wasn't afraid. She was so grateful that he was brave when she wasn't.

They stopped at the open bathroom door, and Shinichi looked down at her blushing face. "I'll wait in the living room. Come there when you're done, ok?"

Ran just nodded, unable to say anything. He moved away from her to push the door open for her. She hesitated, then walked into the room. When she was inside, Shinichi smiled at her, then turned and walked toward the living room. Ran watched him go until he was out of sight. When she came to her senses, she reached for the handle and closed the door.

She stood there for a few moments as her heart rate calmed down and her senses began returning to her. As much as she loved having so much contact with him, she wasn't sure how much more her heart could take. Every time he touched her, her heart raced so much that she didn't know how many times it could take it before something would just give, and she would faint. The effects he had on her before were nothing compared to the effects of his touch.

She took a deep breath, calming her fluttering heart and turned around and stepped in front of the bathroom sink. She looked into the large mirror in front of her. As she thought, she was a mess. Her eyes and face were red and her face was still wet. Her chest clenched as she felt foolish for looking like this in front of him. She needed to learn to control her tears aroung him so she wouldn't look like this in front of him.

She turned the knobs of the sink and cool water flowed from the faucet. She cupped her hands and placed them under the flow of water until her hands were full. She lowered her head down over the sink and splashed the water all over her face. The cool water made her shiver as it trickled down her neck. She did it again and rubbed h the tears from her eyes. She looked in the mirror. She already looked better, and a lot of the redness had been removed by the cool water. She turned the faucet off and reached for the towel on the rack just next to the sink. She dried all the water from her face, rubbing her eyes to make sure to remove all the moisture from them. She looked in the mirror again. The ends of her bangs were slightly damp, but she looked better. The redness in her face was gone and her eyes looked normal. It was the best she could do for now.

She dropped the towel in the hamper in the corner of the bathroom, then opened the door and walked out. She headed for the living room and found Shinichi standing by the couch. He had a phone in his hand and was looking at the screen, pressing on it with his thumb. He looked up when he heard Ran's footsteps. He smiled, gently tossing the phone on the couch and began walking toward her.

"Feel better?" he asked. He stopped in front of her, standing so that their bodies were only inches apart.

Ran felt the heat rising in her face again. "Yeah."

Shinichi smiled at her. "Good."

There was a short silence before Ran felt a need to fill the air with some conversation to distract her from her emotions. She glanced at the phone on the couch, then looked at Shinichi. "What were you doing?"

"I was turning off all the settings on my phone so it wouldn't receive calls anymore." He paused. "Well, not _my_ phone," he corrected, scratching the back of his head. "Conan's."

"Oh." Hearing the name surprised Ran. It brought back a mixture of different feelings that she didn't know how to process. A name that had meant something to her was suddenly a part of the past that they started to forget.

Ran looked down at the floor. She suddenly realized what Shinichi had just been through, and she felt so bad for him. All the things he'd been through pretending to be someone he wasn't and the story he told her about how it happened hit her harder than she expected. Her eyes started tearing up again as she thought about how much he'd been through.

"What's wrong?"

Ran looked up at Shinichi. She looked at his face, seeing that he was confused.

Her brow furrowed into a saddened frown. "It must have been so awful for you."

Shinichi realized what she meant, and frowned, like he was thinking about something that upset him. He turned his head and looked to the side, exhaling lightly like he was tired. He stayed like that for a minute before he looked back at her. "There were times I felt like I couldn't do it anymore," he admitted. He looked down at her hands and reached out, gently grasping each one of her hands in his own and taking a step closer so that they were almost touching. Ran flushed, but didn't break eye contact, her attention fully on him. His face softened and he smiled gently. "But I needed to get back to you." He squeezed her hands firmly, like he was holding on and afraid of letting go. He smiled at her affectionately, like he was looking at something he couldn't look away from. "That's what kept me going."

Ran's face flushed at the contact, but the fear was less than it was before, letting her enjoy it more this time. She watched his face as he smiled at her. She wanted to know more about what happened but wouldn't ask him until they were ready. She had so many questions but didn't know where to start.

As she watched his face she noticed something she hadn't before. His eyes were looking a little less open than they were before, and some of his blinking was a little slower than it was before. He inhaled deeply, then let out the breath through his nose, like he had just yawned.

Her brow furrowed and she suddenly became worried. She suddenly felt the strange flush that she got in her chest when she worried about him. "You look tired," she said, her voice a little higher.

Shinichi nodded once. "A little." He smiled at her. "I'll be fine. I'm just a little tired from my recovery earlier, that's all."

Ran didn't understand at first, then it dawned on her. When he said recovery, he meant when he'd gotten his body back. She became suddenly aware when she realized that she didn't even know how that happened.

"That's right," she said. She paused looking at him for a moment. "How did you even…?"

"Get back to normal?"

She nodded.

"It's a long story, but the short version is that Doctor Agasa made an antidote. He finished it last night and I took it this morning."

The look on Ran's face told him that she was left with more questions. She opened her mouth to ask how he managed to do that, then she realized something that made her stop.

Doctor Agasa made the antidote? IF that were the case, then that meant…

"Wait," Ran started. Shinichi wasn't surprised that she had questions. He was going to tell her everything, but he started with the basics part of it. Her eyes grew a little wider as she started piecing some of it together. "Doesn't that mean… Doctor Agasa knew that you…?"

Shinichi nodded. "Yeah." He paused and frowned like he were recalling something. "After it happened, I went home and ran into him. After a little convincing I got him to believe me and he helped me figure out what to do."

Ran wasn't as surprised by this as she thought, but it made her start piecing together a lot of things from the past few months that hadn't made any sense. She looked down and was quiet for a minute as it all began making sense. "I knew something wasn't right." She looked back up at him. He frowned apologetically. "I know."

While Ran's mind was sifting through memories, she started recalling a lot of strange things that were explained by all of this. But not all of them fit together as easily as the others. Then she realized that she might know why.

"Did anybody else know?" As the words came out, she felt her throat tighten. He'd explained himself already; he didn't tell her what happened because he wanted to keep her safe. She trusted him and knew he wouldn't do anything if he didn't think it was for the best. She just felt embarrassed to know that there might have been more people around that knew what was really going on and how foolish she might have looked not knowing the truth.

"I didn't want to tell anybody else, but Doctor Agasa thought my parents should know. He told them what happened."

Ran sighed and looked at the floor. It made sense that they should know, but she couldn't help but be angry. She'd been left to worry sick about him, but there were people that got the leisure of being told the truth so they didn't have to lay awake sick with worry.

Shinichi didn't even have to ask what was wrong. "I'm sorry." A gripping pain clutched at his chest as he felt guilty for what she was feleing right now. He let go of her hands and gently gripped her upper arms. He lowered his head slightly to get her to look at him. She turned her head up toward him, but kept her eyes downcast.

He frowned as he saw the pain in her face. "I know it wasn't fair." He squeezed her arms tighter while still being gentle, like he needed her for support. "I almost told you so many times." He turned his face toward the floor, suddenly overtaken by emotion. He gritted his teeth and took a shaky breath, the memories of her suffering frustrating him. Ran turned her eyes to look at him when she heard this.

."You have no idea how hard it was to see you like that." He took in a sharp breath, and he started feeling like he was lost. "I had to keep you safe. No matter what." The pain in his chest kept tightening, and his arms began shaking, like the frustration he'd been holding back for so long was finally being released. He took in another breath and exhaled hard. His next words were in a low, pained voice. "But I ended up hurting you anyway."

Ran was speechless. Shinichi had never been emotional. He was always good at putting on a front and hiding what he was feeling, so much so that he seemed unfazable. She'd never seen him like this. Her chest tightened painfully seeing him in so much pain.

The anger she felt suddenly felt silly and it disappeared. All she could think about was comforting him. Without any of the fear she'd felt before, she reached her arms forward and wrapped them around him,, placing her hands flat against his back. She pulled him in an embrace, closing the small amount of distance that had been between them. She laid her head against his chest and turned her face into him, her forehead tucked into his neck.

Shinichi's chest caught and he lifted his head. He stopped shaking and looked down at her. He saw the top of her head, his chin brushing against her forehead. He was still, surprised by her embrace.

Never had they hugged before. _Never_. The sensation was more amazing than he ever thought it could be. Her small, soft body pressed gently against him, her arms around him; he never felt anything so amazing.

"It's ok," she whispered. Shinichi's heart began racing as her warm breath blew against his bare neck when she spoke. "I've always trusted you, Shinichi. I believe in you. You did the right thing."

Her words were like a balm. Her forgiveness was all it took to make the guilt melt away. He slid his arms around her back and returned the embrace, pressing his cheek against her forehead. He smiled and closed his eyes.

After so much fear of being closer to each other, they learned they couldn't survive without each other anymore.


End file.
